Meet the misfortune as it comes
by umbra-lux
Summary: In 1968, the Dharma Initiative first arrived on the island. Karen and Gerald DeGroot came to the island to build a utopian society based on knowledge, but encounters with the hostile natives like Richard and Eloise ensure nothing goes to plan.
1. Terra nullius

title: Meet the misfortune as it comes / Venienti occurrite morbo

rating: T

summary: The year is 1968, and the precursor to the Dharma Initiative is making its presence known on the island. Karen De Groot and her husband Gerald have come to the island seeking an escape from the pressures of life in Ann Arbor, with the utopian vision of a new scientific society, but encounters with the island natives prove nothing can ever go according to plan.

setting: 1968, primarily on the island but some on the mainland, specifically Ann Arbor, Michigan

pairings: Eloise Hawking/Richard Alpert, Eloise Hawking/Charles Widmore, Tom/Mikhail, Jeanette Lewis/David Lewis, Horace Goodspeed/Olivia and probably some others mentioned as background.

author's notes: this is a semi-alternate universe story which deviates slightly from established canon. Specifically, character's ages may not be consistent with canon, and I've also used real life people, mainly scientists, as characters. There is also some question as to when the Dharma Initiative was established and how it got there. This story answers those questions in ways that may not be compatible to what we learn in S6.

* * *

Terra nullius / The uninhabited territory

Karen shuddered as the submarine gave an almighty hitch, quarreling with the current. An onslaught of water pushed against them, fighting propulsion, as though it were a coherent force and not merely the ocean that was holding them back from the tepid water's surrounding the island. She inhaled slowly, savoring the triumph. The island; it was so close she could almost feel it, full of curiosity and possibility, the last untapped frontier she could imagine, a greenish nirvana that might actually enlighten them all. But first, they needed to close enough to dock, and the ocean was putting up a fight. She could feel the waves buffeting them as the captain slowly ascended, abandoning any hope of besting the riptide.

Alone in the reddish darkness, Karen pressed one hand against the whining metal. Bird had assured her the submarine was more than fit for the job. Less expensive replicas had endured in battle, surrounded by bursting bombs and enemy fire. Nonetheless, the whines and groans from the sub as it expanded and contracted in the changing temperatures frightened her. She could feel it shaking beneath her hand, straining, and did not like to think how fast they would all be vaporized if any centimeter gave way.

They had doled out the sedatives several hours in, when the claustrophobia had turned into something more virulent than anxiety. Debra had started screaming, and thus had been the first to be put under. Amy had begun crying shortly after, moaning that she had made a mistake and they needed to turn around. From there, chaos had descended, turning their so-called security detail into a quivering wreck of a man, scaring the youngest ones, fresh from their introductory university classes. It made her nervous still to think about the reactions; she had not anticipated any problems with the ride. The fear had made her edgy, questioning every bump and gurgle of water, the submarine suddenly feeling like nothing so much as a metal coffin.

Now, they all slumbered on the uncomfortable bunks, bare of pallets. Only Karen was left awake. Gerald had swallowed a tablet himself, turned goofy and giddy, and promptly decided to lie down as well. She still had no idea what the medicine had contained, though she was certain it had to be illegal.

"Oh God!" she whimpered as the submarine suddenly jolted, groaning like a twisted wreck after a bad accident. She sank down onto her knees, praying that pressure would cease and equilibrium would be sustained. Karen had never quite fit in with the happy-go-lucky expectation of the times. When others gathered at Haight-Ashbury, dropped acid in the park and marveled at how green the grass was and how soft its brush against their skin, she went to the lab, working late hours and nights, drawn to the religion of education and experimentation. Her science was not the hippie happy world of free love and experiments with marijuana but rather the hard facts. Questions kept her up at night no matter how badly she needed sleep. Gerald had always encouraged her to let go, but it was in Karen's nature to worry and wonder. She looked at the peaceful faces of the sleepers, cast in red light, and felt a stab of envy. _Control,_ she told herself sternly, on her knees on the metal cylinder she had chosen to ride through the seas. Then the sub jerked as if snapped by the hand of a giant, and she screamed, the sound echoing off the walls.

"It's all right now, it's all right," spoke Oldham gently, stepping around the corner. His eyes seemed dazed and faraway, but at least he did not look scared, and Karen took this as reassurance. "Choppy water," he announced, not very interested. "You should have taken one of those little pills."

Karen rose shakily to her feet. "I didn't want to miss anything," she said, realizing it was a lame excuse.

Oldham surveyed her face and looked away, slightly exasperated. "I believe we're here," he decided, foot on the bottom rung of the ladder. Then he stopped. "Do you want to go first?"

Karen released her breath slowly, realizing from the stitch in her side that she had been holding it. Nodding, she moved past Oldham and wrapped one hand around the highest rung she could reach. "Is the Captain coming?"

"Later, I expect," Oldham answered. "We went through some pretty interesting experiences. I think he'll be documenting them for quite a while. Go on," he added, gesturing to the top of the submarine. "Take a look."

It was precisely what she had anticipated, and yet so much more. Karen stumbled unsteadily onto the top of the submarine, shading her eyes from the brilliant sunlight. Any lingering doubts were smashed as she surveyed the place she had dreamed of visiting for so long. It was perfect, a wild sprawl of uninhabited jungle surrounded by cerulean water. Untouched by humanity, the perfect place to carry out experiments, the island waited for her, answers hidden among the trees. She smiled, lifting her gaze to the high hills, and staring out at the dense jungle.

"They're bringing the boat," Oldham said, referring to the skeleton crew that had arrived a week earlier by ship with the first supply of building materials and food. He pointed towards the far shore, where a small vessel had been launched and floated in their direction. "It sure is a beautiful sight," he added wistfully, before ducking back down into the depths of the submarine. His voice echoed, tinny, from below. "The sedatives were pretty strong, I'm afraid. They'll need to sleep it off a few more hours. You go on ahead, and have them send the boat back."

"Good idea," Karen agreed, not disguising her enthusiasm. She pushed her long blonde hair out of her face and waved her arm at the distant boat. "We're going to need a dock," she told the still water. "And something more permanent for a homing beacon." The heat pressed down on her, so different from the Michigan summers she was used to, where the high eighties indicated an extremely hot day. The heat at the equator was different, stronger somehow, and she could feel it working on the pale skin of her face and shoulders. By nightfall, she would be burned to a crisp. Laughing at the thought, she climbed back down the ladder to retrieve her pack, then ascended once more. The boat was waiting, the laughing faces of the nurse and builders she had sent ahead visible. "It's beautiful!" she called to them, grinning irrepressibly. I'm finally here, she thought, glowing. She held out her hand to Jeanette and stepped lightly down into the boat. "Let's go," she announced, so eager it hurt. Her laughter echoed over the water as the boat engine revved and swung them back towards shore.


	2. Regina

author's note: the name "Milbourne" is inspired by Milbourne Christopher, an illusionist who would have been in his forties at the time this story is set.

* * *

Regina / Queen

The sharp sound of hammers pounding had echoed through the northern jungle for the past two days, punctuated by the dull roar of chainsaws and the patter of conversation. Crouched in wait behind the trees, Eloise's people had managed to overhear a bit of what the newcomers were saying. Mostly, it was the mumbo-jumbo expected of any ragtag group of hippies, frequent dedications of love to Mother Earth and Father Sky, cries of "can you dig it, man?" and exclamations of sensory pleasure. The newcomers thought they had found Eden. Eloise supposed she could understand. Her single visit off the island had been a flood of distractions. She had found the press and crowding unbearable, the groan of machinery frightening and the hustle and bustle of modern life disturbing. That these people would want to escape all that was of no surprise to her, but her need to defend the island drove out all sympathy and most curiosity.

"Any word yet?" Eloise asked Milbourne as she flung back the flap of her tent - U.S. army issue, circa 1954 - and stepped out into the bright morning. She picked up the metal coffee pot from the fire and poured herself a mug. "What do we know about them?"

The man's face was grim as he turned to her. Her elder, he did not question the barking tone of her orders. "We know all we need to know," he said. His eyes were frightened as they met Eloise's. "They have communication with the outside world."

Eloise felt the blood drain from her face as she clenched her fists. "How?"

Milbourne shrugged. "We went in close to their settlement yesterday. They had several radios and a boat full of supplies. A group of them was planning to head back the day after tomorrow, to bring in the recruits," he said ominously. "Whoever they are, they didn't land here by accident."

It was too much for Eloise, who did not even attempt to disguise her shock. "You're suggesting they sought out the island on purpose?" she demanded. "No, that's not possible. How would they even know where to look?"

"They are scientists," Milbourne explained. "At least, that's what it looks like. They've brought all kinds of equipment with them. Looks like they're planning an extended stay on the island, and some kind of research. I don't how they found us, Eloise, but it wasn't a mistake. They came looking for this place."

She nodded, feeling tension work its way through her sleepy muscles. "You said they're sending a team back home? Once they've left, they won't be able to find their way back here again. We can find out who the remainder are and decide what to do about them then." She nodded, matter settled. "Where is Charles?"

"He went riding early this morning, about two hours ago. His plan was to be gone all day."

"And Richard?"

"His tent," Milbourne said.

Eloise excused herself, pouring a fresh cup of coffee for Richard. With any luck, she thought, he would have gotten some rest. Insomnia plagued him often, and both she and Charles put it to good use, sending Richard out with the expeditions, as they both trusted his reports more than those of the others. However, when she drew back the tent flap, Richard was wide awake, sitting at his makeshift desk, examining trajectories drawn over a large, colorful map of the Pacific.

"Good morning, Ellie," he greeted her with a knowing sparkle in his dark eyes. He knew how much she despised the juvenile nickname, craving authenticity in the struggle for leadership.

"Richard," she replied with as much civility as she could muster. Handing him the coffee, she leaned over, appraising the maps. "Charting their route?" she guessed.

He nodded. "The team overheard one of them mentioning they had launched from southern California. Someone in the first group calculated the duration as 52 hours, but they didn't bother to chart the coordinates." He held up a dog-eared journal, stolen from the unpacked crates the newcomers had set up by the north beach. "We have no way of knowing whether they came directly here or stopped off along the way, and no one has been able to investigate the boat for fuel stores, so we don't now whether they have additional fuel with them, enough to make capture worthwhile." Richard lifted his head, studying Ellie over the rim of his coffee cup. "Milbourne told you they didn't stumble onto this place unintentionally, didn't he?" he guessed, sensing her tenseness.

Eloise slapped the map with one hand, smudging the careful notes Richard had taken, though he did not admonish her for it. "Who are they? What do they want with this place?"

"We'll find out soon enough," Richard decided. "Charles proposed sending out a team at first light -"

"Oh, Charles did, did he now?" Eloise questioned brusquely. Her anger with the man welled to the surface. "And his proposal? Murder them all, or something to that effect?"

Richard allowed himself a discreet smile. "Something like that," he allowed. "I advised him against it," he added before Eloise could launch into a tirade. "If these people are here deliberately, we need to find out how much they know about the island and where they got their information. We also need to uncover the methods they used to find this place." He stared into space, seeing deep into the past. "There have always been keys, but the routes have been dormant for centuries." Beside him Eloise shivered, reminded of the curious fact of his agelessness, and Richard touched her wrist delicately, calming her. "If they have somehow uncovered one of the old methods - we'll cross that bridge when we come to it," he decided abruptly. "The point is, they found us once. If they have managed to figure out the cycle, they will be able to find us again. Any violence against them could be met with retaliation, and if it is severe enough, they have the potential to bring in backup."

"So, we need to find out what they want," Eloise said. "Milbourne said they were scientists."

"The U.S. army sent scientists," Richard reminded her. Though the last skirmish between their people and the military had been over a decade ago, he could tell Eloise remembered, and was considering his words. "My point is, scientifically minded or not, there is no guarantee they are benign, or that their study will not be harmful to the island. We need to approach them, discover their intentions for this place and make a decision, based on knowledge."

Eloise nodded her approval. "Are you planning to be the one to make this contact?"

Richard shrugged. "I think it would be for the best," he admitted. "We can't have you going, or Charles. It's just too dangerous to risk the lives of our leaders on what could be a suicide mission."

"I can take care of myself, Richard," Eloise told him sharply.

"I know you can, Ellie," Richard responded, teasing her with the nickname. A smile spread across his face as she visibly relaxed. "I have never doubted that fact."

Eloise stared up at him, appraising the emotion she saw in Richard's eyes. Then, with a sigh, she leaned against him, momentarily abandoning the leadership posturing. Richard wrapped his arms around her, drawing her in closer, and she closed her eyes as he pressed his lips against her own, the kiss sweet. Eloise slid her arms around his neck in a warm embrace and kissed him passionately, feeling a strange stirring in her lower belly, a tingling that spread throughout her body as Richard pressed himself against her, hard enough for her to feel the growing erection.

"I've waited for you," Richard breathed into Eloise's ear, his hands stroking her sides, reaching under her shirt to cup her breasts. It had been several weeks since the last time Eloise had come to him in private, and it was a harsh withdrawal given he was used to her creeping into his tent in the middle of the night, a pattern that had been established when she was seventeen.

She touched his face, leaning forward to kiss his forehead, but then released him with a sigh.

"He won't be back for hours," Richard said, interpreting Eloise's distraction for fear.

Eloise looked back at him fiercely, her eyes jewel-bright. "I have no concern for what Charles thinks of this arrangement," she retorted. "I know what his plan is, Richard, but it does not meet with my approval. I have absolutely no interest. Just - where did those people come from?" she demanded, frustrated.

Richard laughed, but fell silent as Eloise glared. "We'll sort it, Ellie," he assured her. "Others have come here, and we've always survived. It won't be different this time."

"It's 'Eloise' now Richard, as you well know."

"Eloise," Richard murmured, bending to kiss her neck and throat. The name sounded a grown-up as she wanted to appear, though he preferred the nickname he had bestowed upon her as a child, so contradictory to her personality, which had never been particularly young. Stroking her hair softly, he cocked an eyebrow, looking at her expectantly. "Will you come to bed with me, Eloise?"

A rare smile appeared on Eloise's face as she took Richard's hand. "Yes, Richard," she decided. "I think I will."


End file.
